『原文』2018 a great year of economic opportunity for Australia, what’s different now?
The Treasurer Scott Morrison believes it is of critical importance last year’s record growth in jobs will impact the economy by eventually working its way through to increases in wages.
Looking at the world economy this may well be the case, however for Australia here is the uncertainty in its relationship with China, where trade seems to suffer each time a political crisis develops.
The USA relationship is unlikely to increase in trade terms in Australia’s favour, Brexit and the EU relationship are equally unlikely to show much growth in the short term.
India, Africa and South America are just as uncertain.
The middle east is expected to remain steady.
ASEAN will have a special Summit in Sydney mid next month, but here too it is difficult to find hard facts that will help grow trade substantially this year.
Tourism is a great hope, provided the Australian dollar stays competitive and labour rates remain stable.
The Treasurer loves to claim more than 1,100 jobs are being created every single day, including more than 300,000 of those jobs full-time over the previous reporting period.
The records keep tumbling: the strongest calendar year results in over 40 years, the strongest calendar year growth in full-time jobs on record, the equal longest run of consecutive monthly jobs growth in history.
This is nice, but we are looking in the rear-view mirror, looking at the road ahead it is less clear.
The main obstacles in front seem?to be if the tax cuts eventuate and enough money flows into the consumer economy to give revenues a lift.
Recent profit increases have in many cases not been productivity based but came about through higher efficiencies with lower output, in effect squizzing supply to force higher prices, electricity is a good example here.
Where are these jobs created?
Many are in small business and many are in government administration as well.
How long lasting these last is the next logical question?
Increasing demand for human resources in the jobs market will see upward pressure, once again, placed on wages.
In sectors such as healthcare and education, where jobs growth has been considerably strengthened over the past few years, wages are growing faster than the national average.
More than 100,000 jobs were created in the healthcare sector through the year 2017 to November, so it shouldn’t come as any surprise that wages in the sector are growing at 2.7 percent, compared to the national average of 2 percent.
Is normal transmission on supply and demand in the labour market being restored?
The same pattern is apparently replicated in the services sector, with the AIG Performance of Service Index measure of employment accelerating to its highest level since December 2004.
This strong labour demand within the sector is reportedly leaving specialised fields with skill shortages, increasing the pressure on wage growth.
Job ads jumped 6.
2 percent in January to be 13.
8 percent higher over the past year 2017.
This is the highest level of job ads since April 2011 and the best start to a calendar year since 2011.
Similarly, the NAB Quarterly business survey showed that the employment expectations subindex has risen to its highest level in almost a decade.
Competition is also being fostered through the Government’s $1.1 billion National Innovation and Science Agenda (NISA), with 19 of the 24 measures having been implemented.
NISA an economic factor in 2018?
NISA has poured more than $700 million into innovation funds that are investing in companies that are busy creating the next generation of technology and innovation breakthroughs like investment in Morse Micro to build the next generation of Wi-Fi chip,
through the CSIRO Innovation Fund which aims to commercialise our research.
Investment in Silicon Quantum Computing to support the development and commercialisation, as the name suggests, of silicon quantum computing technology.
The $75 million investment through the CSIRO to help Data61 look for opportunities for Australians to capitalise on the data revolution, and grants to smart SMEs to harness innovative ideas and help them take it to the market.
As part of the broader NISA agenda, legislated tax incentives for angel investors and venture capitalists have been recently enhanced by allowing innovative financial service businesses to access these sources of funding, to get innovative start-ups running.
All well and good but hardly a recipe for the certainty of success in 2018.
So, what is one supposed to do with investment dollars? Consolidate pay back debt in the face of rising interest rates or double down and invest more with leverage?
Give the recent stock market correction and the markets decoupling from the real underlying economic growth we seem to be back to looking at capital protected asset classes.
How do you see it, what investments would you make for 2018?